Tom Brady has embraced an underdog mentality throughout the playoffs.
That was evident after Sunday night's victory over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game when Brady said, "The odds were stacked against us, and it hasn't been that way for us for a while. And it certainly was for us this year."
It's also clear Brady's "chip on shoulder" attitude has had an effect on his teammates. Following a touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett, a fired up Edelman approached Brady and sarcastically told him, "You're too [expletive] old. You're too old!"
On the latest Quick Slants Podcast, Jerod Mayo talked about the chip on Brady's shoulder and how it reminds him of the way Bill Belichick motivated the Patriots when he was on the team.
"I think it was very telling at the end of the game when Tom [Brady] was giving I think [Rex] Burkhead a hug and he was like, 'you're too slow, I'm too old', all those things," Mayo said. "And it brought me back to that Dolphins game that we talked about where Bill [Belichick] went through each individual player -- and I'm not sure if he did this or not -- and pretty much said what people thought."
"He went down, he said 'Randy [Moss], ah 50 touchdowns, you're washed up. Jerod [Mayo], good player, don't make any big plays. Whatever, just a good player. Vince [Wilfork] too slow, only can stop the run.' And he went through the coaches, it was like an hour he went through each individual person."
"When you walked out of that meeting, I mean if you didn't have a chip on your shoulder, you're ready to run through a brick wall and kill someone. And I kind of got that -- it kind of brought back a memory when I heard Tom saying those things because now it's like 'listen, we've proved them all wrong.' Even if it's an artificial chip, because I kind of think it is a little bit, but whatever you have to do to get going."
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